Though it may seem like something out of yesteryear, faxes continue to play an important role — and have a place in a comprehensive unified communications platform.

First, a disclaimer: This story, which is about the need to include a faxing option in a unified communications platform, features only the comments of the managing director of a company that makes — guess what — fax servers.

That doesn't mean that the gentleman — his name is Craig Freer and the South African company hedirects is Vox Amvia — doesn't have a point. Despite the fact that he oversells it (“Fax is currently the only pervasive medium we have that offers secure point-to-point communication with a full audit trail” is one quote from the story), the main point shouldn't be ignored: Fax is ubiquitous, has been modernized and should play arole in unified communications platforms.

Despite Freer's gung-ho attitude, fax shouldn't be the main element of a unified communications platform. But it is a familiar and useful workhorse-type technology that shouldn't be left out. And it isn't: Earlier this month, Multi-Tech Systems — which defines itself as a unified communications and machine-to-machine provider, said that its FaxFinder IP fax service is compliant with ShoreTel's business systems. The system, the release says, has passed ShoreTel's interoperability testing.